Cassidy Chowns has called North Bay, Ontario, home for the past 20 years. She began her post-secondary education at Nipissing University, where she graduated with the President’s Gold Medal Award for achieving the highest average in the graduating nursing class.

Cassidy spent five years working in acute care settings, including the Critical Care Unit at North Bay Regional Health Centre and the Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit at Mercy Hospital of Buffalo. These roles allowed her to develop advanced expertise in managing critically ill patients, performing emergency interventions, and collaborating within interdisciplinary teams in high-pressure environments.

She went on to complete her Master of Science in Nursing and Nurse Practitioner Diploma in Primary Health Careat Laurentian University in Sudbury, Ontario. In addition to her Canadian qualifications, Cassidy holds a Nurse Practitioner in Family Health license in the state of New York and is certified by the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners Certification Board (AANPCB).

Currently, Cassidy practices primary care at the Near North Medical Clinic, where she focuses on preventative health, chronic disease management, and acute episodic care. She has a special interest in cardiology and geriatrics and remains committed to ongoing professional development while advocating for the evolving role of Nurse Practitioners in Ontario’s healthcare system.

Dr. Daniel Garcia was born and raised in Toronto. He completed his Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology at McMaster University, where he was selected as Valedictorian during his undergraduate studies. He continued his Graduate Studies at McMaster University where his research in Motor Control & Learning was funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC).

Dr. Garcia earned his Medical Degree from the National University of Ireland, Cork, followed by a Rural Family Medicine Residency at the University of Saskatchewan, where he received the Alanna Danilkewich Resident Award for academic achievement.

Currently, Dr. Garcia is the Lead Physician for the Near North Family Health Organization. He serves as the Co-Vice Chair of the Primary Care Network within the Nipissing Wellness Ontario Health Team and as the Family Medicine Representative for the North Bay Physician Local Education Group. As a Clinical Lecturer at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine, he supervises medical students and Family Medicine Resident Physicians as part of his community practice.

Dr. Garcia is also actively involved with Practice Ready Ontario, working to recruit family physicians to North Bay and Northern Ontario, ensuring accessible healthcare for all.